To illustrate the state of the depository art, in a general way, reference is made to three U.S. patents, namely:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,587, to A. R. Zipf, dated Feb. 2, 1960; PA0 2. U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,435, to T. R. Aultz, dated Mar. 9, 1976; PA0 3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,269, to B. Soderberg, dated Oct. 10, 1978.
The Zipf patent illustrates in FIG. 2 an automatic receiving teller, or depository, in which a feed roller system is employed to conduct deposits from an external access aperture to a vertically oriented stacker bin.
Deposits are fed to the bin, and onto an elevator plate mounted on a driving lead screw. As each deposit arrives, the elevator plate is lowered a predetermined amount.
Thus, Zipf requires a motor and a special drive the length of the depository, and is dependant for initiation of the stacking drive upon each deposit having adequate bulk and mass to contact and operate a drive controlling microswitch.
In the Aultz et al patent, no sequential stacking means is provided in the vault, and the conducting means in the form of a pivotable transfer tube includes a linkage operable to move an imprinting means into a printing position relative to a deposit in the tube. In this way, any given deposit is correlated with its respective transaction when the contents of the vault are removed by bank personnel.
Turning to the Soderberg patent, this presents a somewhat simplified deposit conducting or transfer means adapted to afford the desired security against improper actions such as "fishing". However, no provision is made in Soderberg to permit sequential stacking. Further, a relatively complex locking means is required to ensure that the insert hatch is locked before access can be had to the access port leading into the deposit storage area.
Considering this prior art, there is clearly a need for a secure depository apparatus that will provide for the sequential stacking of deposits with the simplicity and reliability necessary in a remote or unattended facility.